The Canadian Football League’s best and brightest will get the chance to represent their countries on the Olympic stage.

The league’s Board of Governors unanimously approved participation in the 2028 Summer Games on Monday, allowing for players to be selected by their National Olympic Committees and National Sport Federations for the first-ever flag football event on the official Olympic program.

The CFL will now begin working with the Canadian Football League Players’ Association, the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), and the Olympic authorities to create the necessary framework that will oversee player participation for flag football’s debut at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

“Representing your country in best-on-best competition is a tremendous honour,” CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston said in a press release announcing the league’s approval. “Despite the Summer Olympics taking place during our season, the Board of Governors recognized the wealth of opportunities provided by competing on international sport’s biggest stage – our incredible players will have a chance at a once-in-a-lifetime experience, they can showcase the best of the CFL for all the world to see and they can play a significant part in growing the game across Canada and around the world.”

The five-on-five tournament is set to feature 10-player rosters from six different countries on both sides of the men’s and women’s bracket.

With the Olympics set to take place during the early part of the 2028 CFL season, the league also announced that they will begin reviewing “scheduling scenarios” to account for players being away from their teams once tournament details are released.

“Competing in the Olympics is a tremendous honour, and we’re excited to see our members have the opportunity to showcase their talents and the spirit of our league internationally,” said CFLPA president Solomon Elimimian.

“For many, flag football is where their football journey began. Seeing our members compete on the world stage will not only showcase the tremendous talent within the CFL but also serve as a source of inspiration for the next generation of players,” he added. ”We will continue to work with the CFL to ensure our players can make the most of this opportunity while keeping their health and safety a priority.”

The Canadian senior men’s flag football team placed third at the IFAF Americas Continental Championship in Panama this past September, and could now potentially be buoyed in their quest for Olympic glory with top CFL stars such as BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke and Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira eligible for selection after the league’s announcement.

“On behalf of Football Canada, I’d like to thank the CFL, its Board of Governors and the CFLPA for making this possible,” said Kevin McDonald, executive director of Football Canada.

“We’re fortunate in Canada to have strong high-performance pathways that have produced the talented world-class roster that we have today; and we look forward to working with the CFL to establish the guidelines that will allow CFL players to compete for an opportunity to represent Canada in the future. This is an exciting time for our sport as we pursue the dream of an Olympic berth.”

In addition to a number of National and American players now eligible to be selected for the Olympics, the CFL is home to 37 Global athletes – representing 16 different countries worldwide – who can now be added to the player pool for their respective nations.

“IFAF warmly welcomes this decision from the CFL Board of Governors, which further underlines the unified commitment and enthusiasm of the worldwide Football family for Flag at the Olympic Games,” said IFAF president Pierre Trochet.

“This news confirms that the best athletes from the two leading global professional leagues will have the opportunity to showcase their talent on the greatest stage in world sport, adding to growing excitement and momentum behind Flag Football’s Olympic debut.”

This past May, the National Football League also unanimously voted to permit their players to participate in the Olympics, allowing a maximum of one player from each team to try out for their country’s roster.